Which glue should I use for sticking plastic card to blue insulation foam ? Need a strong,lasting bond that will stay in place permanently.
Paul

Hi Paul,
You could try any of the following...

PVA (might not adhere to the plastic card very well due to the smooth surface)
Copydex (use it as a contact adhesive)
PU (polyurethane... the stuff that foams/expands)
'Foam Safe' Cyanoacrylate (CA)
2-part Epoxy (preferably proper modelling epoxy, not araldite ;o)
Maybe 'No More Nails' type adhesive but never tried it personally.
Good quality double-sided tape.

Unfortunately you've picked a 'nightmare' combination to glue together... the blue foam will be melted by a lot of the best adhesives used for styrene... and the styrene, having a smooth surface, won't allow most of the above glues to get a grip... you'll need to rough it up with some abrasive paper.

"Need a strong,lasting bond that will stay in place permanently." - can you be a little more specific in the application & sizes involved? It'll give a better idea of exactly what you want to achieve.

HTH,
Steve
(ex. balsa basher & r/c aircraft builder)

If PVA won't do it then I'd use epoxy. Superglue (cyanoacrylate) has a tendency to melt foam.

PVA or carpenters glue will do it. Scratch the contact side of the plastic card and weigh it down after applying the glue.
A hot glue gun would also work if you apply the glue in just a few spots to avoid heat warping.

Thanks for the replys, I am using plastic card to face the sides of a vignette that I am doing and wanted a surface that would take a nice even coat of paint,
The double sided tape had not crossed my mind but seems the safest bet at the moment.
Paul

Paul,
If you 'block' sand the edges of the blue foam so that they are flat and then remove/vacuum any dust (important!) you should find that gives the best surface for the double-sided tape to stick to. You can also try gently heating the tape - to help the adhesion - and rub it "into" the foam before removing the protective backing paper and applying the plasticard. Be warned - carpet tape can be very sticky stuff so it's probably a one-shot-deal.

I'm at an early stage with nothing to loose and have plenty of blue foam. If all goes well I'll post some pictures
Paul

Since I am currently finishing my basement with the blue/pink foam stuff, I'll chip in here. I'm using a dedicated glue designed for foam called PL-300. It's a construction adhesive so sticks to anything and 100% guaranteed not to mold or degrade your foam. It comes in a tube like caulking and is fairly thick, but can be smoothed down. Not sure if it will smooth down like a white glue, but may be worth a look.

Jamie

I've used 3M Super 77 with great permanent (ten years now) results.
http://www.vernk.com/images/Starfire/BodyTubes/Super77Spray_LowRes.jpg

There is probably a product equivalent in the UK.

Just spray* evenly on both surfaces, let sit for a few minutes, then mate both surfaces. Once you touch the two together, you'll have no workable movement available.

* mask off and cover any local area that you don't want the sticky mist to get all over...

Thanks Guys, I'm trying the tape first but will give these others a try if needed
Paul

I'm a great fan of Gorilla Glue now. It foams up a bit but if you spread it super thin on the foam, not the plastic, it should minimize it. Also, disregard the instructions and do not wet the foam side. Wetting it seems to trigger the foaming action. It will not attack the foam.

I've had good luck using clear silicone to glue all kinds of stuff to foam. The down side is that it takes a day to dry. I use silicone to glue foam to plywood for dioramas. I also use it to glue plastic trim around the sides.

the trick with pva is 50/50 water mix on the foam (so it soaks in)let dry then thick coat on the scratched plastic card,this is normal way i do it,and it hasn't failed yet,the double sided stuff is OK but ive seen it dry out the adhesive then fall of.its OK if you need to stick a master on to some board for casting but it has no lasting strength

Hello Paul .. if your useing blue foam and its the same stuff used on movie sets then your in luck ,,No More Nails will glue plastic to foam ( done it myself ) ,,another glue which will work to is one call Ados F2 .. glue both items and let it sit till its tacky ..then stick em together .. result is a very tight fit and it will not came apart ..i've been using F2 for more than 20 yrs and its never let me down , hope this helps you out .
Cheers

Phill

Very interesting thread!!!
A problem that no doubt many are facing at some point!

Thanks for bringing the question up...and thanks to all for the helpful replies!

This is one great reason why forums are so important!

Cheers

Romain

You dont need glue at all. Make a box with your plastic card ... 5 sides, and just set the foam in it to fill up the box. Add your ground work on top as normal.